"Two Mirrors has a special place in my heart," says New Orleans bartender Nick Detrich. "It's a frappe-style drink with a good dash of anise and floral notes like the absinthe frappes of Mardi Gras." To garnish with rose water, spray with an atomizer or float a few drops on the surface of the drink.

No Cuban meal is complete without a café cubano (Cuban coffee). A well-made café cubano has a thick layer of sweet crema (cream) floating over strong espresso. To get the crema right, whisk about 1 tablespoon of the espresso with sugar until it turns foamy, then pour the pot of espresso over it. Lourdes Castro says you can't overbeat a crema, so stir it energetically.

"This is like a really fine chocolate truffle that melts in your mouth," says Carousel Lounge's bartender Marvin Allen. He makes this variation on a chocolate martini with nocino, a walnut liqueur produced in Modena, Italy.